SnapShot: Lipid Droplets

SnapShot: Lipid Droplets

Lipid droplets

OK, they are cute, but why should a developmental biologist care about them? Onset of calcification early in ontogeny coupled with gradual, progressive morphological development permits the recognition of growth sequences for over a hundred trilobite species. Striking variation in the number of trunk segments at maturity across ontogeny and phylogeny, coupled with the curious pattern of segment...

Lipid droplets go nuclear

Lipid droplets (LDs) are sometimes found in the nucleus of some cells. In this issue, Ohsaki et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201507122) show that the nuclear membrane, promyelocytic leukemia bodies, and the protein PML-II play a role in nuclear LD formation, suggesting functional relationships between these structures.

Supersized lipid droplets

Helping an axon go long A developing neuron has to decide where to grow its axon. Witte et al. show that the choice requires an overlooked ingredient: stable microtubules. As a neuron matures, it sprouts several projections, or neurites. One neurite continues to lengthen and becomes an axon, while the others become dendrites. Although researchers have probed how actin promotes this process, the...

Lipid droplets and cellular lipid metabolism.

Among organelles, lipid droplets (LDs) uniquely constitute a hydrophobic phase in the aqueous environment of the cytosol. Their hydrophobic core of neutral lipids stores metabolic energy and membrane components, making LDs hubs for lipid metabolism. In addition, LDs are implicated in a number of other cellular functions, ranging from protein storage and degradation to viral replication. These p...